Puneri Paltan vs Haryana Steelers: Relive Top 5 showdowns between two champion sides in PKL

Puneri Paltan and Haryana Steelers have produced a few edge-of-the-seat thrillers when they have clashed against each other in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL).

Under the leadership of Aslam Inamdar, Puneri Paltan won their maiden Pro Kabaddi title after defeating Haryana Steelers in the final in Season 10. Overall, they have been one of the most consistent teams in the league, having reached the Playoffs in six out of the 11 seasons since the inception in 2014.

On the other hand, Haryana Steelers made their PKL debut in 2017 after the league was expanded with four new teams. Led by captain Jaideep Dahiya, the Steelers won their first-ever PKL trophy in Season 11 after they overcame Patna Pirates in the summit clash. Since their introduction in the PKL, the Haryana-based team has secured four Playoff berths in total.

Meanwhile, Puneri Paltan and Haryana Steelers have faced each other in 17 matches in the PKL. Puneri Paltan hold a superior head-to-head record with 10 victories, the Steelers have registered six wins, while one game was tied.

Here is a look at five of the most thrilling encounters between Puneri Paltan and Haryana Steelers in the PKL.

Season 8, Match 64:

Puneri Paltan and Haryana Steelers were involved in an enthralling clash in Match 64 of Pro Kabaddi Season 8 at Sheraton Grand in Whitefield, Bengaluru. Both teams matched each other blow for blow in the first half, before Puneri Paltan secured a 7-5 lead. However, the Vikash Kandola-led Steelers bounced back to level the scores at 8-8, and later went ahead by 2 points. Later in the first half, Puneri Paltan rode on Nitin Tomar’s brilliant two-point raid to bring parity to the scoreline. While Puneri Paltan were back in the lead courtesy of a sensational Super Tackle on Meetu, the Steelers tied the scores at 14-14 at half-time. The Steelers soon started the second half by inflicting the first All-Out of the game to secure a 19-14 lead. Even though Puneri Paltan tried their level best to close the gap, the Steelers continued their dominance by imposing another All-Out to push the lead to 10 points. Captain Vikash Kandola later wrapped up the game with eight points to guide the Steelers to a comfortable 37-30 victory in the end.

Season 10, Match 24:

Match 24 of Pro Kabaddi Season 10 witnessed another nail-biting encounter between Puneri Paltan and Haryana Steelers at the Badminton Hall in Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune. Puneri Paltan were off to a great start as captain Aslam Inamdar gave them an early lead with the help of a Super Raid. The Steelers soon responded with a Super Raid of their own as Vinay got the better of five Paltan players to leave them reeling. The Jaideep Dahiya-led Steelers followed it up with the first All-Out of the game to register an 11-7 lead. However, Puneri Paltan then quickly bounced back to level the scores at 14-14. While all-rounder Rahul Sethpal produced two Super Tackles in a row, the Paltan later inflicted an All-Out to secure a 24-21 lead at the end of the first half. The Steelers’ defence then delivered a rejuvenated performance in the second half to level the scores at 33-33. Despite the best efforts from Puneri Paltan, the Steelers imposed another All-Out with two minutes remaining before recording a pulsating 44-39 win.

Season 6, Match 85:

Puneri Paltan and Haryana Steelers delivered an adrenaline-charged game in Match 85 of Pro Kabaddi Season 6 at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune. The game was evenly matched in the first 10 minutes, before raider Vikash Khandola produced an outstanding Super Raid to help the Steelers inflict an All-Out on Paltan to register an 11-5 lead. Captain Monu Goyat and Vikash Khandola continued their brilliance on the mat as the Steelers soon established a 15-point lead at the end of the first half, courtesy of two All-Outs against the Pune-based side. However, the Girish Ernak-led Paltan soon made a brilliant comeback in the second half, thanks to an impressive performance from their all-rounder Sandeep Narwal. With less than 10 minutes remaining, Paltan inflicted their first All-Out to reduce the deficit. Trailing 29-27 in the final few minutes, Paltan soon achieved another All-Out to propel them into the lead. Girish Ernak and his men later held their nerve to register a nail-biting 35-33 victory and record their third consecutive win over the Steelers in Season 6.

Season 9, Match 43:

Match 43 of Pro Kabaddi Season 9 produced another edge-of-the-seat thriller between Puneri Paltan and Haryana Steelers at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune. Led by Fazel Atrachali, Puneri Paltan were off to an explosive start as star raider Mohit Goyat started the game with a brilliant Super Raid. Both teams were cautious in their approach and waited for defensive opportunities, which led to an increase in do-or-die raids in the first half. While the likes of Meetu Sharma and Manjeet chipped in with crucial points for the Steelers, it was the home side that secured a 13-10 lead by the end of the first half. Puneri Paltan began the second half strongly, extending their lead to eight points within the first four minutes. Even though the Nitin Rawal-led Steelers showed glimpses of reducing the deficit, Puneri Paltan maintained a decent lead. However, the Steelers were back into the game with Manjeet inflicting a crucial All-Out, and soon levelled the scores at 26-26. The game witnessed a dramatic climax as the home side celebrated a win following a dash on the raider, but a review revealed that Puneri left cover Sanket Sawant was out of bounds, resulting in a thrilling 27-27 tie.

Season 10, Final:

Puneri Paltan and Haryana Steelers were involved in a closely fought Pro Kabaddi Season 10 final at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. With both teams battling for their maiden Pro Kabaddi League title, it was Puneri Paltan that took an early lead after they got the better of Steelers' raiders Shivam Patare and Vinay. However, Mohit Goyat was then tackled as the Steelers got on the scoreboard in the PKL Season 10 final. While the defenders from both sides did not give an inch, raider Pankaj Mohite produced a moment of magic with a four-point Super Raid to power Puneri Paltan to a 13-10 lead by the end of half-time. The Aslam Inamdar-led Paltan extended their lead in the second half, courtesy of the first and only All-Out raid of the final by Mohit Goyat. The Pune-based side secured a six-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes of the game. Despite moments of brilliance from Steelers’ raider Siddharth Desai, Aslam Inamdar and his men held their nerve to guide Puneri Paltan to their first ever PKL title with a hard-fought 28-25 victory.

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